Flanging machine



Aug. 11, 1925. i 1,548,893

H. MccABE- FLANGING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25. 1921 Patented Aug.. 1l, 1925.

rares HUGH lVIcCABE, 0F LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLANGING MACHINE.

Application filed February 25, `1921.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, I-IUGH MCCABE, a 'citizen of the United States,residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flanging Machines;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rThis invention relates to a fianging machine and more particularly7 4toa iianging machine of the type disclosed in the patent to Hugh McCabeNo. 1,030,416, dated June 25, 1912.

Flanging machines of this type operate to 4form a flange on a metalplate'in successive steps. Adjacent increments of the work along an edgethereof are successively bent down until the entire flange has been bentto a position corresponding to the first step in the tlanging operation.Thereafter the flange is incrementally bent through the second step andso on until the completed flange has been formed. In the patent abovereferred to, the Hanging machine is provided with a bender 20 mountedupon a segmental bender carrier 190 having a segmental gear 240. Areciprocatory rack 250 capable of being swung into and out of engagementwith the segmental gear 240 serves to oscillate the bender 20 through anormal angle of oscillation, approximately 40. During the first step ofthe Hanging operation, the bender is repeatedly oscillated through itsnormal angle of approximately 40o to form successive incremental bendsin the flange portion of the plate, the work being fed along through themachine after each increment of the flange has been bent. Because of theresiliency of the metal, the flange after having been bent down in anystep, springs back somewhat. The spring-back of the metal in this mannerwould operate to interfere with the feeding 0f the work through themachine during the succeeding step in the Hanging operation. Provisionis made in the above mentioned patent for repositioning the rack 250with ,relation to the segmental gear 240, so that during such successivesteps of the flanging operation, the bender is returned, after eachincrement of the flange has been turned down, to a position clear of theportion of the lflange to be Serial No. 447,794.

bent down. The rack is repositioned in this manner between successivesteps in the Hanging operation until the completed flange has beenformed.

In the above mentioned patent mechanism'is disclosed for accomplishingthe repositioning of the arc of oscillation of the bender to accomplishthis result. This mechanism includes a dog 500 adapted to beautomatically moved into the path of the collar 380 whenever the rack isdisengaged between successive steps in the langing operation ofthebender.k Duringv the return of the bender to its initial position,however, the construction of the mechanism is such as to require a handoperation of the operator t0 move the dog 500 (by means of a handle 514)to position the dog in the path of the collar 380. The dog 500 isallowed to remain in the path of the collar 380 during the first twosuccessive steps incident t-o the return of the bender to its initialposition, being removed from the path of the collar 380 during the finalstep, this being done by manually swinging the handle 514 to the right.It will therefore be apparent that the mechanism disclosed in the abovementioned patent, while operating automatically during the advance ofthe bender requires manual operation during the return of the bender toits initial position.

Theobject of the present invention is to provide a 'Hanging machine ofthis type with mechanism for positioning the are of oscillation of thebender to enable the work to be fed freely through the machine, not onlyduring the advance of the bender but during the successive steps in thereturn of the bender to its initial position.

The invention consists in the langing machine hereinafter described andparticularly defined in the claims.

The drawing illustrates theJ preferred embodiment of the invenion inside elevation.

The construction and operation of the Hanging machine in general is thesame as that disclosed and fully described in the above mentioned McCabePatent No. 1,030,- 416 to which reference may be had.

The mechanism for positioning the arc of oscillation of the bender toenable the work to be fed freely through the machine comprises apositioning device 51, mounted on the rod 390, and held fromlongitudinal movement on the rod 390, and held from longitudinalmovement on the rod by means of two stop collars 52 and 54, acompression and torsion coil spring 55, by expansion tending yieldinglyto press the positioning device 5l against the stop collar 52, and bytorsion to hold the .device in an inoperative or turned down position.One end ot the positioning,` device 51 is provided with an ottset noseGl, shown in the drawingl in its operative position. This nose isadapted to be struck by the collar 380 projecting from the side of therack when it is inoperative position, and to pass by it when it is inturned down 0r inoperative position. Then the collar 380 strikes the endot the positioning device 5l. it shuts ottx the air valve and stopsreti-'acting movement of the rack by the means described in said patent.ln the present construction when the collar 380 strikes the nose (Si, itstops the retraeting movement of the rack at an earlier point.

rlhe clamping wedge 59 is operated by `the 'bell crank lever 80 andpiston rod 99 i'rom the cylinder 100, as in said patent. Connections areprovided between the wedge operating piston rod 90 and the positioningdevice tor turning the latter up in certain stages in the operation ofthe machine, and turning it .farther up and locking it up in otherstages ot the operation or the man chine, and to this end the piston rodA90 is provided with a bracket 91 which is secured to the piston rod 90,and which supports one end of the lliositioning device operating rod 92.This rod 92 is further supported by a plate 93 which is fastened on thecylinder 100. The end ot the `rod 92 -is provided with a collar 9i, anda spring 95 takes against the collar at one end, and against a chain.lever G2 at the other end. The rod 92 also carries a pulley bracket 6Bcarrying` a chain pulled. The chai-n lever 62 pivoted on a stud 67 inthe frame ot the machine en gages the spring 95 at its upper end, andnear its upper end is attached a chain 60 which runs from the lever overthe pulley and down to the positioning device 5l. An

arm depending from the stud 6T beloviT the lower end of the chain, lever62, is adapted to be engaged by a. lug 24d on the segment 240 when thesegment occupies its `position of extreme throw, as shown in thedrawing. lilith the segment in this position the chain lever 62 occupiesthe yposition shown, and the releasing of the clamping wedge 50 operatesto move the pulley bracket 63 to the left, so as :thereby to exert apull upon the chain GO sutlicient to turn the 'positioning device to itsoperative po-sition and a little beyond, so as to permit the latch .pin5G to engage `the recess 58 in the positioning device 5l,

thus latching and holding :the positioningl device in its operativeposition. lVhen the segment occupies intermediate positions it will beobserved `that the lug 244 not being in engagement with the dependingarm 65, the

chain leverl (32 occupies a position inclined to the left, and thereforean added length of chain is provided, so that in the positions ot thesegment where the rack is disengaged therefrom, or, in other words, inthe disengaging positions ot the segment, the chain vonly litts thepositioning` device into operative position without turning it tarenough to cause the latch pin 5G to engage the recess 5S so as therebyto hold it in its operative position. lheretore, in the use of themachine, attcr the successive increments ot one bend ot the flange havebeen pert'orn'ied and the segment has been brought to its firstdisengaging position with the recess 310 in position to be en gaged bythe dog SOO, the hand lever 29() will be turned to throw the dog intoengagement with the recess, and .at the saine time to drop the rack outoi engagement with the segment. This will turn the positioning device 5linto operative position (but not itar enough to latch it in suchoperative position). Then the rack will be run back until the collar 380thereon strikes the nose G1 ol: the positioning device, and through itpushes on the rod 390 so as to thereby stop the retracting movement ofthe rack, as described in said patent. During this operation the chainmay be said to be in its lengthcned position because thel chain lever 62is tipped to the lett. The lever 290 will now be swung' to the lett inthe position shown in full lines, thereby re-engaging the rack, and thesecond step o't bending,r vis carried on as betere by successiveincrements until the second step ot bending` is completed, whereupon therecess 870 of the bentler segment will be engaged by the dog 300, therack will be dropped to disengagement .troni the segment, thepositioning device will be lifted to operative position. and the rackwill be run back as before. rllhe third step ot the bending operationwill now be performed, progressing by successive incremental bendings inwhich the segment advanccs to the position shown in full lines, the lug244- will have struck the tail o't1 the chain lever 62 and exerted apull upon the chain `which will litt the positioning device 5l to acertain extent, but upon each retracting stroke of the bender segmentthe positioning` device 5l will turn back to inoperative positionbecause the clamping wedge 50 will not be released until the lastincrement ofthe bend being given the Harige is completed, and then,before retracting the bender, the clamping wedge 50 will be released andthis will turn the positioning device up to its operative position andlock it in such position. The rack will now be run back while it isstill engaged with the segment until the collar 380 strikes the nose 6lof the'positioning device .51, whereupon the rack will be disengaged,run forward, and re-engaged, the positioning device standing fast thewhile. The rack will now be re-engaged and run back, bringing the recess310 opposite the dog 300 (the positioning device standing fast inoperative position) until the collar 380 strikes the nose 6l oi thepositioning' device. The rack will then be disengaged, run forward, andre-engaged and retracted, and during its retracting movement, or at Itheend of its retracting movement, the operative will disengage thepositioning' device from the-latch pin 56 by pushing on the handle 59 tocomp-ress the spring .55, and then the rack may be run back theremainder of the distance to its initial position. Upon the release ofthe positioning ydevice b-y the use of the handle, which may be operatedby the hand or by the foot, the torsion of the spring will turn thepositioning device to inoperative position.

It will thus be seen that the machine operates automatically to regulatethe position of the bender face, so as to permitthe feeding of the workto the machine during the successive steps o bending the flange down,whereupon the releasing of the clamping wedge at the end of the flangebending operation raises the positioning device into locked operativeposition where it remains during the resetting actuation of the machineto bring the bender segment back to within a small angle of its initialposition, whereas, in the machine of said patent the positioning devicewas required to be operated by a separate operation of the hand at theend of the langing operation to throw the pawl 500 into operativeposition. In the present machine the corresponding member, namely thepositioning device, is thrown into operative position at the end of the:Flange bending operation by the operation of releasing the clampingwedge. It will be observed that there are two men required to operatethe machine, the one being a helper to present the work to the machine,and the other the operator proper, who works the controls for themachine. The latter stands with the right hand on the valve 280 forcontrolling the oscillations of the bender and with the left hand on thevalve 110 for controlling the clamping wedge 50. The presentconstruction enables the operator to throw the positioning device intolocked operative position by the wedge valve instead of reaching downand turning it up by an inconvenient hand operation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is l. A flangingmachine of the step langing type having, in combination, an oscillatingbender, bender actuating means, a work clamp, clamp actuating means, aclamp controller for controlling the movements of clamp actuating meansto clamp the work, a positioning device for positioning the arc ofoscillation of the bender, and means connected with the clamp actuatingmeans for operating the positioning device.

2. A, Hanging machine of the step flanging type having, in combination,an oscillating bender, bender actuating means, a work clamp, clampactuating means, a positioning device for positioning the are ofoscillation oi" the bender, and means connected with the clamp actuatingmeans for operating the positioning device.

8. A flanging machine of the step Hangingtype having, in combination, abender, bender actuating means, a work clamp, clamp actuating means, apositioning device for the bender, and means connected with the workclamp and bender actuating means for operating the positioning device.

4E. A flanging machine having, in combination, a bender, benderactuating means, a work clamp, clamp actuating means, a positioningdevice for the bender, and means controlled by the position of thebender for operating the positioning device.

HUGH MCCABE.

